City: Pearce delivers half-time grilling

CITY'S faltering stars saw the darker side of new boss Stuart Pearce for the first time at St James' Park. The Blues boss was forced to get stuck into his City slackers as they failed to sparkle against a nervous Newcastle.

CITY'S faltering stars saw the darker side of new boss Stuart Pearce for the first time at St James' Park.

The Blues boss was forced to get stuck into his City slackers as they failed to sparkle against a nervous Newcastle.

His interval grilling worked as the visitors bossed the second 45 minutes of the match, though they didn't quite do enough to squeeze a point out of the contest.

"We lost that game because we didn't have enough application for the first half," reflected an angry and disappointed manager.

"We probably gave them too much respect. I told them at half-time that Newcastle were a team waiting to give us a result. They had to have the courage to go out and take that result, but for 45 minutes we didn't have that.

"There were not enough tackles won, we didn't get tight enough, do the dirty things or pass the ball well enough. Really, everything that I could be disappointed with I was."

Performance

Pearce admitted he was shocked by such an out-of-character display from a side that was looking to climb back into the top four and had previously thrived on every challenge he had set them.

"It surprised me a little bit because since I took over the players had shown me togetherness, willingness and a camaraderie," he added. "I had not seen a poor performance like that from them.

"The second half was much better and if we had started like we did after half time we would not have got beaten and we might have even nicked it and won the game.

"Those are the narrow margins that we are working to in the Premiership at present. Yes, you need a touch of luck now and again but if you are not at the races from the first whistle in this league then you will not win anything and that happened to us on Saturday.

"Newcastle are stumbling along at the moment and if we had got our noses in front I don't think we would have lost the game because I felt there was a game there for the winning."